Indian Ocean

Naval Chief said that the Chinese Navy was manifesting itself more in the Pacific oceans and ensuring that Indian interests in the Indian Ocean are not affected

The Indian Cast Guard will conduct National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercises & Workshop (SAREX-24) under the aegis of NMSAR Board at Kochi from November 27 to 30, according to an official press statement.This workshop will be conducted with imperatives to validate the National M-SAR construct through 'all-inclusive' and 'collaborative' approach.The release added, taking cognizance of the vast 4.6 Million Sq Kms of Indian Search and Rescue Region (ISRR) bestowed to India, Indian Cast Guard has been a proponent of cooperative engagements not only with the resource agencies but also with littorals and friendly foreign countries.Response operation to large scale contingencies at sea, termed as 'Mass Rescue Operation' (MRO) will be the essence of 11th edition of SAREX-24.The theme of the exercise will be "Enhancing Search and Rescue capabilities through Regional collaboration" to signify ICG's commitment and resolute to provide succor during large scale contingencies regardless ..

President Dissanayake, elected to the top office in September this year, is scheduled to visit India in mid-December

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the security and prosperity of nations is intimately connected to oceans and the government has taken several transformative steps to bolster India's maritime capabilities. In his message sent from Camp Office in Nigeria, Modi called for success of 'Sagarmanthan, The Ocean's Dialogue', being held at the national capital to build consensus for partnerships of a prosperous future of humanity. "Today, the security and prosperity of nations is intimately connected to oceans. "Recognising the potential of oceans, several transformative steps have been taken to bolster India's maritime capabilities," he said. Sagarmanthan, South Asia's largest maritime thought leadership forum, began on Monday. "Over the last decade, guided by the vision of 'Ports of Prosperity', 'Ports for Progress' and 'Ports for Productivity', we have doubled the capacity of our ports," he said. "By enhancing port efficiency, reducing turnaround times and strengthening last

China's Type 076 amphibious assault ship is significantly larger than the US Navy's America-class vessels and Japan's Izumo-class helicopter carriers

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, known for pro-China leanings in the past, on Monday officially took the oath of office as Sri Lanka's new President

Top commanders of the Indian Navy have decided to significantly bolster the force's combat prowess in the Indian Ocean against the backdrop of China's increasing forays into the region and geopolitical power play being witnessed in the Indo-Pacific. The decision to enhance India's combat capabilities in the maritime sphere following extensive deliberations at a four-day naval commanders' conference that concluded here on Friday, officials said. In his address to the commanders, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi underlined the need to maintain vigil towards ensuring maritime security and coastal defence through close synergy and functional linkages with the Coast Guard and other maritime agencies. The admiral called on commands and staff at the naval headquarters to continue evolving as a well-balanced multi-dimensional seamlessly networked force ready to respond, protect and promote the national maritime interests -- "anytime, anywhere, anyhow", according to the Navy. The Navy .

India and the Maldives on Friday held a fresh round of "productive" defence dialogue with a focus on the situation in the Indian Ocean and ways to expedite implementation of ongoing defence projects. The defence dialogue in Delhi took place nearly a month after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar paid a three-day visit to the Maldives, in the first high-level trip from New Delhi after the island nation's pro-China president Mohamed Muizzu assumed office. "The entire range of talks were productive which will advance shared interests of both the nations in near future and bring stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region," the defence ministry said on the defence dialogue. The ties between India and the Maldives came under severe strain since Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge of the top office last November. Within hours of his oath, he had demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from his country. Subsequently, the Indian military personnel

Beijing is also continuing efforts to establish additional overseas military installations and secure access agreements, including in regions near New Delhi

India and other Quad member nations on Monday reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and said no country should dominate others and competition should be managed responsibly in what is seen as a clear message to China. At a meeting, the foreign ministers of the Quad countries also called for upholding the free and open rules-based international order and respecting the principle of freedom, human rights, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations. The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Australia's Penny Wong. "All countries have a role in contributing to regional peace, stability, and prosperity while seeking a region in which no country dominates and no country is dominated, competition is managed responsibly, and each country is free from coercion in all its forms and can exercise its agency to determine its own future

China is making inroads into key choke points along the Indian Ocean and obstructing the right to freely navigate the waters, an influential American lawmaker has said, expressing concerns over increasing Chinese investment in South Asia. Congresswoman Young Kim, who is chairman of the Subcommittee on Indo-Pacific in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said South Asia holds immense significance for the US foreign policy and national security interests. The region faces a dynamic geopolitical landscape that presents challenges for the US policy objectives. The Indian Ocean is a crucial channel for global trade, an estimated 80 per cent of maritime oil trade and 40 per cent of world trade passes through the Indian Ocean, she said. CCP is making inroads into key choke points along these routes and obstructing the right to freely navigate the waters. In recent years, we have seen Chinese ports in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, military installations in Djibouti and infrastructure investments

A ship to be built by defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) as part of its pact with a Goa-based government institution will explore the deep Indian Ocean for rare minerals and metals, officials said on Thursday. With a length of 89.5 metres, it will be the largest research vessel to be built in an Indian shipyard for deep sea exploration, a spokesperson of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa said in a release. The vessel will be deployed for undertaking deep sea scientific surveys and sampling towards the Deep Ocean Mission of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, he said. It will have an all-weather capability and capacity to carry 34 scientists at a time and is expected to serve India for the next 30 years, he said. The vessel, to be built by the Kolkata-headquartered GRSE in 36 months at a contract value of Rs 839.55 crore, will "explore the deep Indian Ocean for rare minerals and metals as part of India's Deep Ocean Mission," the rele

The three sides held discussions to explore opportunities for collaboration, including under the framework of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)

Indian Navy's frontline warships carried out a mega military exercise with the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group of the US in the Indian Ocean, demonstrating the growing strategic congruence between the two sides in the key maritime domain. The USS Theodore Roosevelt is a Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered, aircraft carrier of the US Navy. A carrier battle group or carrier strike group is a mega naval fleet comprising an aircraft carrier, accompanied by a large number of destroyers, frigates and other ships. The Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group operated alongside forces from the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean on July 12, the US embassy said in a readout. The wargame came amid increasing concerns among democratic countries over China's increasing military muscle-flexing in the larger Indo-Pacific region. The Indian Navy's deployment included guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam and replenishment ship INS Aditya. "This joint maritime activity advanced interoperabilit

As per information received by the Rameswaram Fishermen Association, the fishermen belonged to the Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu

Union Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said India is set to become the sixth country to have its own deep-sea mission. Chairing a meeting to discuss the ministry's 100-day action plan, Singh expressed pride and happiness on the progress of the deep-sea mission and India being among the very few nations to achieve this feat. He asked institutes to focus on achieving a resilient blue economy to empower people dependent on the ocean and its energy for livelihood. Singh said the deep-sea mission is not limited to mineral exploration but development of ocean sciences and exploration of flora and fauna and conservation of marine biodiversity. He lauded the National institute of Ocean Technology's (NIOT) efforts for the development of Matsyayaan 6000, which can dive 6,000 metres deep into the ocean. Taking stock of the progress, he directed officials to complete the first stage of the vessel's harbour trial by September and finish the subsequent ones by 2026. Singh ...

The new report titled 'Quad: Diplomacy and Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific' assesses the Quad's achievements and potential amidst the ongoing geopolitical churn

Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) on Thursday announced a strategic partnership with CG Hospitality with a plan to grow its portfolio in the Indian sub-continent to 25 hotels by 2025, involving a total investment of around Rs 4,000 crore. The portfolio of 25 properties by 2025, will include 11 operating hotels with 900 keys and will add another 14, which will be under one platform -- 'Ekyam' -- to pursue opportunities in destinations that offer adventure experiences across the Indian Ocean and Greater Himalayan regions and wildlife escapes, IHCL Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Puneet Chhatwal told reporters. IHCL's Vice President Commercial Ram Maheshwari will lead the 'Ekyam' platform, he added. "We have a long-standing association with CG Hospitality, a member of the renowned CG Corp Global for over two decades. We are delighted to announce that the next phase of this partnership will pursue accelerated growth in the Indian sub-continent. "This collaboration under the ..

India's blue economy strategy hinges on developing robust underwater domain awareness, a critical yet overlooked aspect

Addressing this deficiency should be a top priority for the new govt, given India's role as the gatekeeper to the Indian Ocean